One of the gifts Timothy received for Christmas this year was a cannon. Yes, I know it is certainly questionable as to whether a four year old boy should posses a device that could dismember small animals, but trust me when I say it really is okay.

Timothy’s Great Grandpa had a Big Bang Cannon when he was a boy, and remembered it well. I see now why he remembered it. We (read that as “I“) played with it a little on Christmas day, and it is rather impressive! It is just over two feet long, black with red wheels, and looks just like an old Civil War cannon.

The science behind it is rather basic, but not what you might expect. Generally a cannon or “explosive noisemaker” achieves its loud report from the burning of black powder or gunpowder. But this nifty neighbor-irritator uses water (!) and calcium carbide. Calcium carbide, when mixed with water, produces acetylene gas, which is highly explosive. Add a little spark and a small chamber, and you will get a blast of flame about a foot long, and a seriously loud boom.

And yes, there is a trend here. This gift follows the same vein as the “birth” gift Timothy received from my parents: a Ruger Bearcat.